


stings and stripes

by lovelylogans



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Kid!Roman, Kindergarten Teacher Patton, M/M, Meet-Cute, Tattoo Artist Virgil, kid!Logan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 09:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15603171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelylogans/pseuds/lovelylogans
Summary: Logan’s favorite place ever was the park just down the street.That suited Patton just fine; it just meant that whenever he deemed that his son needed some fresh air and a distraction from his latest learning obsession, he’d propose a trip to the park and Logan was out the door before Patton could say “Get your shoes on.”





	stings and stripes

**Author's Note:**

> I’m at a reunion right now, and one of my baby cousins noticed one of the oldest cousins has her fav animal as a tattoo, and so now my older cousin is The Coolest Ever, and I also have a plot bunny.

Logan’s favorite place ever was the park just down the street.

That suited Patton just fine; it just meant that whenever he deemed that his son needed some fresh air and a distraction from his latest learning obsession, he’d propose a trip to the park and Logan was out the door before Patton could say “Get your shoes on.”

Patton wasn’t entirely sure _why_ : Logan loved libraries, schools, an apiary Patton took him to once, but he’d never puzzled out why this park was so special in Logan’s mind. Logan’s usual ideal day was one with lots of jam sandwiches and lots of books—Patton still wasn’t sure where he’d inherited that from, but as long as Logan was happy, Patton was happy.

This was one such day: Logan had been deep in researching bumblebees for the thousandth time when Patton proposed a picnic, and Logan immediately agreed.

Logan and Patton walked hand-in-hand as Logan happily told Patton about the construction of apiaries and Patton tried his best to keep the picnic basket from whacking into anyone passing on the sidewalk. As soon as they laid eyes on the park, Logan was practically vibrating until Patton let go of his hand with a chuckle and a “go on, then,” and he was off like a shot, straight to the playground, mostly ignoring the other children. Patton watched him clamber up a ladder fondly, and with only a bit of worry. Logan wasn’t very personable—not quite shy, just uninterested in people unless he especially liked or disliked them. Another reason why the park’s idolization was a mystery.

Patton scouted out a bench, and found a decent one in the shade with a good view of the park, and he settled, splitting his attention between tracking Logan and reviewing course materials for the fall. When he glanced up from a list of books for the first semester, it was to Logan bee lining straight towards him, immediately grabbing his hand.

“ _Papa_ he has a _bee_ ,” Logan said breathlessly, tugging him off the bench, and immediately dragging Patton.

“I—who?” Patton said cluelessly.

“ _Him_.”

 _That narrows it down, bud,_ Patton thought, before he asked, “How does he have a bee?”

Logan did not deign to explain, and Patton was about to ask him to use his words when they rounded the corner of the playground and Patton saw one of the most gorgeous men ever. Patton felt his knees go weak.

He had black hair that glinted in the sun, and a number of silver piercings that did too—in his ears, his eyebrows, his lip, his nose. The silver pointy studs on the shoulders of his leather jacket did, too, and he was smiling a little, only enough that someone really looking could see—out at the playground, at the kids running around.

Logan did not have time for Patton to gawk; another tug, and they were heading straight for that beautiful man.

“Here he is,” Logan said breathlessly. “Can I see it again?”

The really offensively handsome man smiled at Patton. “You’re his grownup?”

Patton smiled—vague enough to be inclusive, and clear that he’d asked Logan to get his grownup to make sure Logan was comfortable.

“I’m his father, yes,” Patton said, before extending a hand. “Patton Kassipoeg.”

“Virgil Sanders,” the man says with a nod, before kneeling to Logan’s height, shrugging his jacket so it slipped down his shoulders, and tilting his head.

He had a bee tattoo on the side of his neck. Amongst others, Patton noticed, seeing the swirls of color down his shirt, and _stop staring Patton he could be married_.

“ _Wow_ ,” Logan breathed, reaching forwards.

“Ask, Lo,” Patton said, and the very pretty man—Virgil—smiled at Logan.

“It’s all right,” he said, “just be gentle.”

Logan touched at his neck, tracing the outline of the bee tattoo. It was a little doodle, yellow and black striped with dashes behind, forming a little heart. Patton could only guess there was another bee below the neckline.

“Did it hurt?” Logan asked, hushed, and the man shrugged one shoulder.

“A bit,” he said honestly. “Kind of like getting a shot at the doctor’s office. I’m kind of used to it, though.”

Patton wanted to see the tattoos. He wanted to see _all of the tattoos_. He immediately scolded himself for leering at a park, next to his own kid.

“Papa said his hurt too,” Logan said, and Virgil lifted one studded eyebrow at him.

“You got ink?”

Patton shrugged with a smile. “Rather not take my shirt off in the park, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course not,” Virgil said immediately. “Did you go to a studio round here?”

“Uh, Remy? Remy Spavati?”

Virgil made a noise of recognition. “I’m a tattoo artist, too,” He says. “Rem’s good. Neat linework. I’ve got a couple by him too.”

“DADDY,” a very loud little boy said, and Patton turned to see a boy—Logan’s age, he was guessing—reaching over to tug at Virgil’s leather jacket. “Show the coloring one!”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Little brat,” he said, but his tone’s so fond it belied any of the harshness in his words. “Introduce yourself, please.”

The little boy puffed his chest out and held his hand out for Logan to shake. “Roman,” he said. Logan said his own name, and shook back with the kind of solemnity seen at business exchanges. Virgil shrugged off his leather jacket, revealing a tight purple t-shirt, and brandishing his (rather muscular) arms for Logan and Roman’s inspection.

Roman pointed proudly to one on Virgil’s forearm that Patton would wager was colored in with magic marker. “I colored that one,” he said to Logan.

“Meant for it to be just a black ink bit,” Virgil said to Patton, as Logan adjusted his glasses and looked closer. “Princey here has made it his personal coloring book.”

Roman gave his dad a toothy grin—Patton noticed a gap in his teeth.

“That’s cool,” Logan said immediately, and turned to Roman. “Wanna see something cool?”

“Yeah,” Roman enthused, and they dash off together, Patton blinking after them.

“Huh.”

“What?” Virgil asked, shrugging his jacket back on.

“It’s just,” Patton said, and shook himself. “Logan usually takes a bit to warm to people, that’s all.”

“Roman is the most extroverted person I’ve ever met,” Virgil said dryly, rising to his feet. “I really don’t know where he gets it from.”

“Logan’s going to be outreading me in two years,” Patton reassured Virgil, sticking his hands in his jean pockets so he wouldn’t do something impulsive, like reach out and touch the bee tattoo. “No idea where he got it.”

Virgil gives Patton that same little smile, the hard-to-find one. “None at all?”

“None at all,” Patton said with a sigh. “I mean, I’m a kindergarten teacher—“

“So _that’s_ where I know the name Kassipoeg,” Virgil said, and then shook himself. “Sorry, sorry, I interrupted.”

“No, it’s okay,” Patton said, smiling. “I didn’t think I saw a Sanders on my fall list this year?”

“You didn’t,” Virgil said dryly. “I wish you did, though, you seem—“ he pauses.

 _Seem what?_ Patton wants to ask, but he clears his throat. “If he’s in Foley’s, he’s with Logan.”

Virgil let out a huff of air. “Okay, good,” he said.

Patton tried not to smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Virgil said, and looked at him sideways. “It’ll be good to have a... friend. Amongst the parents. Sometimes they get nervous about,” Virgil said, and gestured to his whole being.

“Well, I’ll put a stop to it,” Patton said reassuringly, and cleared his throat. “Um. I’ve got a pretty good bench claim over there, if you—if you’d like to join me?”

Virgil smiled, a little wider. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, okay.”

They’ve barely sat down for a minute before Logan and Roman come crashing out of the playground, skittering to a stop just short of the bench.

“Hey there,” Patton said. “Explore much?”

“ _Lots_ ,” Roman enthused, and flopped down in the grass. Virgil nudged him gently with his boot.

“If it’s okay with you, Virgil, I have some extras in the picnic basket?” Patton said, digging through it. “If you like jelly sandwiches, that is.”

Roman’s head popped up from the grass as Logan settled primly on the ground. “I _love_ jelly sandwiches! They’re my _favorites_!”

Logan turned to gape at Roman. “Mine too!”

“No _way_ ,” Roman said immediately, sitting up.

“Yes way,” Patton said, amused, handing each child a jelly sandwich. “Virgil, chicken salad, turkey and cheddar...?”

“I’ll take turkey? If you don’t mind,” he said hastily. Patton handed it over.

Patton learned a lot about Roman as they ate. He learned that Roman turned five just two months ago, that he’s going into kindergarten, that he’s seen _every Disney movie ever,_ and he is VERY EXCITED! that Logan is going to be in his class.

“You should give Mr. Sanders your number,” Logan said, in the voice that meant he was trying to be sly, and took a bite of jelly sandwich. “So we can play together.”

Patton narrowed his eyes a little at his son, who’s too smart for his own good sometimes.

“Yeah,” Roman said brightly, in a voice that also probably meant he was trying to be sly but mostly sounded like he was being mischievous, “Dad, _definitely_ give him your number.”

“You two could talk about stuff too,” Logan said, noncommittal.

Which Roman immediately ruined by blurting out, “Like how you’re both _single and ready to mingle~!”_

Patton felt his cheeks burn bright red. Virgil said calmly, “I’m going to kill your Uncle Rem. You spend too much time with him.”

“No I don’t,” Roman said with a wide grin, and stuck out his hand to Logan. “C’mon, Lo!”

“You were supposed to be _subtle_ ,” Logan complained, and as Roman dragged him away, he chirped, “I don’t know the meaning of the word!”

“He really doesn’t,” Virgil said, and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, I’m—sorry, about him. He and Rem both have it in their heads that I’ve been single too long, and—“

Patton hesitated, before turned to face Virgil and he said softly, “You said. Earlier.”

Virgil has this _look_ on his face, soft and guarded all at once. “Yeah?”

“That I seemed something,” Patton prompted. “Seemed like what?”

Virgil’s cheeks tinged pink, and he coughed. “Seemed,” he began, and looked out at the park. “Seemed lovely,” he said gruffly.

Patton took a breath, took a chance, and took Virgil’s hand.

Virgil’s eyes darted to his face, and Patton smiled, felt his cheek dimple.

“Well,” he said simply, and digs out his phone, offering it to Virgil. “That sounds lovely.”

**Author's Note:**

> Patton’s last name, Kassipoeg, is kitten in Estonian. which I thought was a) adorable and b) a great last name. in a similar vein, Remy’s last name is sleep in Croatian. Thank you for reading! My tumblr is also lovelylogans!


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